Door by-law request ‘just going too far’

Press, 5 March 1982, Page 4

Door by-law request ‘just going too far’

A by-law to govern door widths in all buildings was "just going too far,” the town planning committee of the Waimairi County Council was told yesterday. The council was asked by the North Canterbury Regional Committee of the International Year of Disabled Persons to consider amending its by-laws to place a minimum restriction of 800 mm on doors of service rooms in all buildings; including houses. The regional committee also wanted the doors to open outwards or to be sliding doors.

Cr H. M. Tait said the restrictions should be imposed on public buildings but the council could not impose them on private houses. “This is just going too far. It could interfere with other things that people want to do in their homes,” she said. Cr Tait wanted to dismiss the matter but others

thought it best to wait until the building inspector (Mr E. Hughes) could discuss it with the Christchurch Metropolitan Engineer’s Committee. Mr Hughes said that existing by-laws ensured that public buildings were accessible to disabled people. He could also foresee some difficulty in enforcing the bylaws on private houses.

“To ask for an 800 mm wide door to a toilet that was only 750 mm wide would be ridiculous,” he said. Cr P. M. Carter said that a 800 mm wide door was the widest that could be bought.

“I can’t see this committee approving this. It would be a waste of time for the engineer to take it to the metro committee and bring it back to this committee,” he said. The committee decided to let the matter lie on the table for one month to allow it to be discussed by the metropolitan engineers committee.